


A Totally Definitely Honest Mistake

by whenilearnedtofly



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Catfishing, M/M, Unhealthy Relationships, one sided damienxmark, post the college tapes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenilearnedtofly/pseuds/whenilearnedtofly
Summary: Damien didn't mean to lie to Mark, not initially at least. He hadn't expected Mark to actually reply to his message let alone for an actual conversation to happen. He just didn't want to ruin this second chance. He didn't mean for it all to turn out like this.AKADamien pretends he's definitely not Damien after messaging Mark on Instagram
Relationships: Damien (The Bright Sessions) & Original Male Character(s), Mark Bryant/Damien, Mark Bryant/Oliver Ritz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Damien groaned and tried to hide his head further under the covers as light poured into the shabby bedroom, he really needed to get those blackout curtains, especially with how much he'd been drinking lately. He couldn't keep waking up with this bad of a hangover to fucking natural light. Groggily he picked up his phone, expecting maybe a meme from Hailey he didn't quite understand or a message from Marcus making sure he got home safe the night before. What he definitely had not expected was a message from Mark Bryant. 

He opened his phone and pulled up Instagram and that's when it hit him, he must have messaged Mark last night. He'd found him on there a few months back when he'd realized that Mark would have had one during one of his ‘edgy episodes' as Hailey called them. However, he'd never followed or interacted with any of his posts as far he could remember. He just checked it from time to time, making sure Mark was okay, or at least around. However, apparently, he'd broken that rule the last night. He opened the message, expecting to find Mark telling him to fuck himself or something similar. 

_-7/10/2021-_

**3:46 AM**

Hey Mark

Hey how do you get those pictures to look so cool you're like really good at photography you know

**10:14 AM**

Oh uh hi

Thanks it's a passion of mine 

And also my job that's important too I guess

But I uh I just try to really capture moments of genuine life I guess

Damien couldn't even breathe for a moment. He just kept reading the messages over and over. Why was Mark being like this? He hadn't actually forgiven him, had he? His mind was racing at a mile a minute before he was hit by the fact that he should probably reply. He types something up and sends it before he can stop himself long enough to make sure he doesn't sound stupid.

**12:24 PM**

Oh wow I didn't actually expect you to reply 

Sorry for that weird message I was uh a bit drunk last night

God, he sounds fucking stupid.

**12:30 PM**

No worries

I don't normally get messages from people I don't know on here so you piqued my interest

Plus I always appreciate compliments

Oh. He didn't know. Wait how didn't he know? Wasn't Damien's name on the account? He pulled up his account and there it was, staring him in the face. 'corpse wannabe', that stupid nickname Hailey had given him when they first met. He must have never changed it to his actual name. 

Suddenly he remembers that he hadn't replied to Mark yet and pulls up the chat again.

**12:35 PM**

Of course, you've got a real talent, which apparently even completely wreaked me can recognize

Sorry again about that I try not to drunk text too many people these days

**12:36 AM**

Like I said, no worries

Damien stares at the message, waiting for another, waiting for any excuse to keep the conversation going. He hasn’t heard from Mark in so long. He knows he should put his phone down and forget about it, Mark wouldn’t want to actually talk to _him._ Marcus is always telling him that he needs to figure out how to get over Mark, it's been years now, he really should move on especially because technically they weren’t anything to each other in the first place. 

A text pops up at the top of his phone from Hailey and there it is, another of those ‘tick tocks’ that she keeps sending him. He probably should just get the app at this point but that would be admitting defeat. He opens the link and confronted by a young woman with blonde hair, dyed red at the end, appearing over images of… grass? And lipsyncing to something in spanish. At the top of the video is the words “Me when hank green isnt looking:”. Suffice to say Damien is very confused. Who is Hank Green? Why does this girl look like she wants to do something with grass? Is this a joke about weed? 

Suddenly an idea pops into his head, he copies the link and pulls up the messages with Mark.

**12:43 PM**  
Hey so I’m probably just being stupid or something

But do you understand what is going on in this video?

[ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJEGa3s4/ ](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJEGa3s4/)

My friend’s kid sends me them sometimes and like

This isnt a joke about weed is it

**12:50 PM**

Oh uh

yeah i get it

dw it's not about weed

**12:52 PM**

You sure? 

**12:52 PM**

Yeah pretty sure

Basically this guy named hank green told a bunch of kids not to eat grass because it's bad for you after that girl asked why you shouldnt so shes saying shes gonna eat the grass when hes not looking basically

**12:55 PM**  
Huh

Good to know it's not weed

Though now i'm concerned that shes gonna eat grass

**12:57 PM**

Haha

Youre probably fine most the time the gen z kids just make jokes like that

Though dont tell them that you dont expect them to do something i've learned the hard way that theyll just take that as a challenge

**1:00 PM**

Haha

Noted 

**1:00 PM**

So whats your name, corpse wannabe?

Unless that's actully your name and in that case my condolences

Damien’s smile fell and he stared at the phone, he didn’t want this to end so quickly. He had made Mark laugh, he had been laughing. He had felt a lightness in his chest from such a small interaction and he didn’t want to lose it, not yet. He’d just come up with a fake name for just a little, just to keep this conversation going, then Mark probably wouldn’t message him again and he’d never have to know it was Damien. It would be fine.

Quickly he thought through possible names and one jumped out at him from one of the diner’s customers that he’d ended up having a full conversation with a week or two ago. The guy had just been passing through but he had seemed pretty cool.

**1:05 PM**

Nah it's Jayce


	2. Chapter 2

Marcus glanced at the clock and sighed deeply. He knew that Damien wouldn't be able to make an early shift this month; July and March are always the roughest months so he'd scheduled him for afternoon shifts. However, it was approaching 4 pm and he still hadn't received a call or reply to the text he'd sent a couple of hours prior. 

Marcus pulls out his phone and pulls Damien up through his recent calls, pressing the call button. He waits as the phone rings, trying to steel himself to actually be firm with Damien for once.

The phone picks up, "Yeah, Mars?"

"Hey, Damien… it's 4."

"... Yeah, it is."

"You have work?"

"Oh shit. Uh give me 20 minutes and I'll be there."

"Okay, see you soon." He sighed as he hung up, at this rate Damien wouldn't be able to make rent, again. It didn't help that Marcus's own savings were running low with the diner taking more and more of his personal money to stay afloat. He really shouldn't be keeping Damien on the payroll, especially with his customer service skills, but he's a little scared that if he let him go Damien might just up and leave like-

The bell at the door rings, jostling him from his thoughts, and he looks up and smiles. Hailey, his 15-year-old daughter, walks in, pulling herself up onto a stool at the bar and smiling as she looks around, "Where's Damien? He works today right?"

"He's running late, he'll be here soon though," Marcus assures her, smiling warmly as he sees her brighten at Damien's soon arrival before asking "Do you wanna shake, sweetheart?" 

Hailey nods, grinning, "Strawberry please!"

"Get started on your homework and I'll get that." He smiles, kissing her on the forehead before turning to make the shake.

A few minutes later the door opens with the familiar ring and he hears an excited "Damien!" from Hailey.

He turns to see Damien ruffling Hailey's hair affectionately as he greets her with a chuckle, "Heya, brat." 

She sticks her tongue out at him before laughing and Marcus smiles at the two before picking up Damien's apron and tossing it at him with a laugh, "Clock in Damien, I can't pay you otherwise." 

Damien catches it and rolls his eyes but his smile betrays his lack of real annoyance, "Yeah yeah, Mars- give me second, I just got here."

"You were supposed to be here almost two hours ago," Marcus says pointedly.

Damien grins back flirtatiously before he drawls, "And I'm sure you'll find somewhere in your heart to forgive me, Mars."

Marcus's breath hitches and he can feel his cheeks warming at the tone, Damien doesn't use it as much these days as when he first came into town but back then it didn't have nearly as drastic an effect on Marcus, not that Damien seems to be able to tell. However, Marcus is pretty sure it's never made him feel quite like this. Though that was likely due to the fact that Damien had drunkenly kissed him a few nights prior, well, if it could really be called a kiss? Marcus has stopped it pretty quickly, not really interested in his… in Damien kissing him when drunk. Plus Damien hadn't mentioned it so either he didn't remember or he regretted it. Marcus isn't sure which one hurts more.

Marcus rolls his eyes at Damien and turns away, avoiding looking him in the eye, "The issue isn't so much that I won't forgive you, but that Mariam won't when you miss rent, again. She is serious about her threat to evict you."

"Yeah, but- if she does then I can finally just move in with you. I know the brat would enjoy it, wouldn't you Hailey." He says as he puts on the apron. Marcus can't bring himself to do more than glance at him out of the corner of his eye, Damien knows that Marcus doesn't have a spare room and he isn't sure he can handle the implication there being intentional, even if it is a joke.

"You know there isn't room and you swore that you'd die before you slept on my couch again, so no, you better keep her happy and pay your rent."

"Okay fine, I'll actually work," he said, coming around the back of the counter as his phone buzzed and he pulled it out. The moment his eyes hit the screen his whole face lit up and Marcus raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

"Oh uh…" Damien seemed to actually blush and now Marcus was even more confused, "Me and Mark started talking."

Marcus isn't quite sure he heard that right, "The Mark that you went on a road trip with and then decided he wanted nothing to do with you? I thought you were trying to get over him?"

"Yeah well, he's talking to me now." Damien smiled at Marcus, it was one of those genuine ones Marcus had only seen a handful of times in the nearly 3 years he had known the man and he hated himself for it but he felt his heart break at the sight. All 'Mark' had to do was talk to Damien to make him like this. He turned away, busying himself with cleaning. 

The more he thought about this the more he realized this was probably a really bad idea. Damien had come so far in the time he'd known him and Marcus didn't want to watch all that go to waste because some asshole couldn't leave well enough alone. He'd talk to Damien about this later when Hailey is elsewhere.

He didn't get the chance to talk to Damien until Hailey left to hang out with a friend from school but finally, the diner was quiet.

Hesitantly he spoke, his words hopefully sounding less rehearsed than they were, "So, Damien, how did you get into contact with Mark?"

“Oh, I messaged him on Instagram last night. I didn’t really expect a reply but he did and now were… he’s talking to me.” Damien’s eyes seem to unfocus as he speaks as if he’s remembering something and he smiles softly. Marcus knows that that look of content joy should hurt him as much as it does, that he should be happy that Damien seems to happy right now, but he just wished that it was him making him smile like that instead of  _ Mark. _

“Damien,” He starts hesitantly, “Are you sure that this is a good idea? He hurt you before and you still haven’t really recovered, I just… I don’t want to see you go through that again.”

Damien looks at Marcus, brow knit in confusion, “He… he didn’t… okay yes he did hurt me but that was different, this is different, plus we’re just talking. He’s not going to hurt me this time, Mars.”

Marcus frowns, “You can’t be sure of that Damien, how do you know this isn’t going to be like last time where you get close and you f- and then he turns on you and wants nothing to do with you again? I remember what you were like when we first met. You were a wreak, Damien, and you have no way of knowing that he won’t break you like that again.”

“I said it’s different! Just, just trust me on this, Marcus. I know what I’m doing and you aren’t in charge of me.” Damien snaps, teeth bared angrily.

Marcus flinches and goes quiet, Damien almost never calls him by his actual name. “Fine,” He mutters as he turns away and into the kitchen wiping away a single tear as it starts to trail down his cheek. 

He and Damien don’t talk the rest of the night beyond when customers are in or ordering and Marcus can feel dread start to form in the pit of his stomach. When he gets home he pulls out his phone and sends Damien a message.

_ -7/10/2021- _

**11:23 PM**

I’m sorry about earlier Damien, I didn’t mean to start a fight

I just dont like seeing you get hurt

He types out “I love you” before deleting the message and shoving his phone in his pocket, he and Damien would be fine. And if they weren’t yet he would get them there.


End file.
